lachlanfry wrote:Skybuses and Ventura buses in the Melbourne CBD are crazy. Have almost unclipped and had words with the Skybus drivers

Oh yes!

Worst thing is my workplace is on the access road to their Melbs terminal. Given the free time, I could sit on the doorstep and photo them going past at well over the 10 km/h posted limit with a phone stuck to their head.

...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.London Boy 29/12/2011

Went for a casual ride today. When I got to the City I met a nice taxi driver who couldn't decide what lane to be in as he dodged other parked taxis and changed lanes without looking (one of those taxi drivers that starts to change lanes and then indicates once or twice). Felt like giving him a really good belting as both times when he changed lanes I had my front wheel alongside the rear door. Just gave him a good yell when he stopped to drop off his passenger.

Lukeyboy wrote:Went for a casual ride today. When I got to the City I met a nice taxi driver who couldn't decide what lane to be in as he dodged other parked taxis and changed lanes without looking (one of those taxi drivers that starts to change lanes and then indicates once or twice). Felt like giving him a really good belting as both times when he changed lanes I had my front wheel alongside the rear door. Just gave him a good yell when he stopped to drop off his passenger.

Some good driving all round

Where do you ride from? I need to avoid your route at all costs it seems....

Chermside/Aspley. I rode to the city via Deception Bay I met the nice professional taxi driver heading along Eagle Street while going to the Botanical Gardens/bikeway in the CBD. I just hate the whole Roma Street-Botanical Gardens route (I usually refill my bottles there before going on the river loop) as there are so many poor quality taxi drivers that cut across lanes when turning, don't bother with signals, beep their horns, tailgate, floor it to beat you, run red lights, block the road and it goes on and on. And then there are the rest of the drivers out there

lachlanfry wrote:Skybuses and Ventura buses in the Melbourne CBD are crazy. Have almost unclipped and had words with the Skybus drivers

Oh yes!

Worst thing is my workplace is on the access road to their Melbs terminal. Given the free time, I could sit on the doorstep and photo them going past at well over the 10 km/h posted limit with a phone stuck to their head.

This time last year footage of a bus driver texting whilst driving on the m2 was instrumental in the bus company taking steps to eliminate it.

Just don't tell a current affair / today tonight that you are one of them law breaking bi-cyclists

sorry - it was a white small ute/trucky thing (sorry - I'm not into cars) with a silver tray on the back with he edges about a foot high. I think it was YP something or YG. Maybe YGD? I honestly only snapped into "get the rego" mode after i got soaked and it was already off. Plus i had water or piss or whatever it was over my glasses so couldn't see super well.

But i'll be looking out for him. it's gotta be a local bogan i reckon. I should've said i did start cruising the streets for a while - i went back to wanniassa shops just in case it was there and rolled around for about another half an hour but didn't see it again. There were people leaving red rooster about that time (staff going home for the night) as i was creeping around near that carkpark at 11 pm or so and i bet they thought i was casing the joint.

PB12IN wrote:The pest control contractor was in the lunch room and he pipes up with “I hate cyclist because they run red lights” I turn and say, “But I see cars run red lights” his reply of “but cyclists stop and then take off through the lights”, once again my reply of “So do cars”, he come back with the best reply ever throwing his arms up yells out “YEH WHATEVER!” Where do you go from there, it is really a conversation stopper that one. Except for Mr Fink who turns around and says “Why do they have red light cameras? It’s not for bikes.” Pest control guy storms off.

I'd have responded with

"So, as a contractor let's have a quick discussion with the manager about your contract here seeing as I have serious reservations about your commitment to workplace health and safety"

Aushiker wrote:This dude seems to be of the view for sure. Maybe that is the way they drive in South Africa or something.

at that low speed, you could allow yourself to scrape against the side of his car

I suspect he would have smacked me in the head for that one; I have learnt the "don't touch my car; it is bigger than my manhood" perspective some men have ... he was already hanging out the window expressing is understanding of the road traffic code (not) ... I guess he was trying to impress the girl in the passenger seat.

Aushiker wrote: I suspect he would have smacked me in the head for that one; I have learnt the "don't touch my car; it is bigger than my manhood" perspective some men have

the trick is to act outraged and as if he forced his car into you, which is really what he did anyway, then complain about him scratching your bike

Aushiker wrote:... he was already hanging out the window expressing is understanding of the road traffic code (not) ... I guess he was trying to impress the girl in the passenger seat.

you sometimes hear "both motorists and cyclists always think they're right.. they both need to calm down", then you listen to the utter nonsense these people spout and you think "no, most motorists really just seem to genuinely have no clue"

i had a minor one riding back from the crits this morning along sydney road. 2 of us riding abreast of each other on 3 lane road, and numpty inevitably comes up behind us and starts tooting. in his defence, he didn't do anything aggressive, but just kept tooting... until we rolled up behind the traffic queue at western ring road and he realised we weren't holding him up, then he calmed down. i'm sure he still thought we held him up

At this point you can hear me yell. I gather from a comment from the driver, that he didn't like the idea of me passing him, so I guess that made his driving okay.

Not sure I can be bothered reporting this as it will likely go to my "friends" at Fremantle Police Station which means a response of "no offence" will be forthcoming.

Andrew

Uh, if I'm reading the lane markings correctly, your lane ends there and you give way to the traffic in the left lane as you join them, right? It sounds as if you're a regular down there, wouldn't you guess he was going to move left as they split into two for the lights?

IF the driver of the car headed in the opposite direction to me at just after 4am this morning intended to give me a scare when he left his lane, entered the one I was travelling in and headed straight for me with his high beams on he succeeded. Scared the life out of me, ruined my night vision as well as the rest of my day

KonaCommuter wrote:IF the driver of the car headed in the opposite direction to me at just after 4am this morning intended to give me a scare when he left his lane, entered the one I was travelling in and headed straight for me with his high beams on he succeeded. Scared the life out of me, ruined my night vision as well as the rest of my day

Just the two cars in the space of 100metres today parking in the green 'separated' bicycle lane up Albert Street, Melbourne, outside whatever hospital that is with the horrible 1960s pale yellow colour.

The first guy turned left into a driveway. I thought he was going to go into the driveway, but he then backs up and stops in the bicycle lane, necessitating me going into the car lane to pass him. As I went past and the driver's window was down I said "Please don't do that again" to which I think he responded something like "Thanks for the advice" and then said something rude under his breath. Whatever.

The next one was stopping at the same hospital, on the same street and in the same bicycle lane further up from the previous car - letting out a lady with some x-rays in her hands. This caused me to once again have to enter the car lane to pass. A pedestrian had crossed the road and was standing in the car lane waiting to cross the bicycle lane after I went through, right beside the car - she had to back up further into the car lane to let me pass the car. We shared an exasperated 'cars' moment and then I told the car (although their window was up) "Please don't park there".

I'm not a fan of the rude shouting and banging I've seen some cyclists do although I can understand why and I have taken to saying please in front of whatever I say. It might not help but at least it is semi-polite and makes me feel slightly less annoyed about the situation.

And they really should put bollards every 1 metre or so on those supposed dedicated 'copenhagen' green bicycle lanes to deter cars/taxis from parking in them. I was very amused one time to see some car had thought that the bicycle lane was the correct parking area, and every other car behind this one had done the same thing and slotted between the bollards - a line of 10-15 cars all parked in the dedicated bicycle lane when the parking bays were clearly marked right beside. It would have been even more amusing if some more cars had used the real car parks and boxed those silly cars in.

Summernight wrote:I was very amused one time to see some car had thought that the bicycle lane was the correct parking area, and every other car behind this one had done the same thing and slotted between the bollards - a line of 10-15 cars all parked in the dedicated bicycle lane

i've seen something similar in a no-standing zone outside a construction site - all of the workers just parked in it. for all i knew, it's possible they had a special permit, but i suspect more likely they had someone ready to heavy any parking inspector who turned up.